Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of headsman
Two other men, subjects of excellent Holbein drawings in the show, would keep appointments with the headsman.
—
Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2022
Even if your reality is the headsman’s block!
—Helen Shaw, Vulture, 4 Oct. 2021
Once upon a time, the queen could have sent rebels to the Tower and the headsman’s block, even relatives—especially relatives.
—Matt Seaton, The New York Review of Books, 9 Mar. 2021
The British prime minister has assembled a trio of headsmen to sever Britain from the mainland.
—Vanityfair.com, VanityFair.com, 22 Mar. 2017
Several other leading figures of the period ended their days on the executioner’s block, including the unhappy Comte de Chalais, whose headsman bungled the job and ended up frantically chopping away at his screaming victim with a small hatchet.
—David A. Bell, Foreign Affairs, 1 Mar. 2012
Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2022
Even if your reality is the headsman’s block!
—Helen Shaw, Vulture, 4 Oct. 2021
Once upon a time, the queen could have sent rebels to the Tower and the headsman’s block, even relatives—especially relatives.
—Matt Seaton, The New York Review of Books, 9 Mar. 2021
The British prime minister has assembled a trio of headsmen to sever Britain from the mainland.
—Vanityfair.com, VanityFair.com, 22 Mar. 2017
Several other leading figures of the period ended their days on the executioner’s block, including the unhappy Comte de Chalais, whose headsman bungled the job and ended up frantically chopping away at his screaming victim with a small hatchet.
—David A. Bell, Foreign Affairs, 1 Mar. 2012
Recent Examples of Synonyms for headsman
Noun
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The executioner sent someone to look for a stronger rope.—
Austin Sarat,
The Conversation,
4 June 2026
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For over an hour, Tony Carruthers lay strapped to an execution gurney in Tennessee's death chamber as his executioners struggled to find a vein.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
28 May 2026
Noun
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Just after the American Civil War, people in Pennsylvania were still following the ancient Roman polymath Pliny’s advice to wrap their aching heads with a piece of a hangman’s noose.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Feb. 2026
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The classic effigy comes with a free hangman’s noose or lasso.—
Jack Handey,
New Yorker,
17 Nov. 2025
Noun
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John McClain, the veteran music executive who was co-executor of the Michael Jackson estate and helped engineer the financial recovery of the singer’s legacy and properties, died Monday due to complications from a fall, a rep for the estate confirms to Variety.—
Jem Aswad,
Variety,
27 May 2026
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Michael Jackson named McClain as his estate executors, alongside lawyer John Branca, in his will.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
27 May 2026
Noun
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An erudite peek into the brains of both murderers and those who study them, Crazy, Not Insane takes you behind the true crime and into the minds of true criminals.—
James Mercadante,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 June 2026
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Rhys is joined by a murderer’s row of character actors, including Stephen Root, Kate O’Flynn, Dale Dickey, Kevin Carroll, Jeff Hiller, Neil Casey, and more.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Headsman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/headsman. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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